MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The UWG Soccer team notched win number one on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Georgia College Bobcats by a 2-1 decision at Bobcat Field.
All three goals of Sunday's contest came in the second half, with
Sadie Prince's 75
th minute goal proving to be the game winner for head coach
Stacey Balaam and the Wolves.
"Just a massive win for us," said Balaam. "I knew going in that this was going to be a team that we would have to be perfect against because they have great athletes and are well organized, so I'm really proud of the girls."
West Georgia and Georgia College played a relatively even, scoreless first half, with both teams rattling off six shots. The Wolves had four shots on goal in the opening 45, with the best chance coming from
Jazmine Santiago in the 39
th minute.
The first UWG goal of the 2021 season came via a penalty kick. In the 48
th minute, the Wolves earned a foul in the box, and turned to senior midfielder
Janaisia Smith. The Tacoma, Washington native buried the chance, putting the Wolves up, 1-0.
The Bobcats came back with an equalizer in the 65
th, as Cassie Balzano scored her 30
th career goal for Georgia College off of a rebound.
The came the heroics from
Sadie Prince.
Prince's game winner was a thing of beauty as the senior weaved her way through the heart of the GC defense before blasting a shot from the top of the box with her right foot, beating the Bobcat keeper for her 12
th career goal.
"It's funny because I kept telling Sadie to stay wide, stay wide, and then she just drove forward and took it into the middle and did it all herself," added Balaam. "She needed that. A lot of her family were there today and it was a big confidence boost for her."
The goal moves Prince into the top-10 all-time in career goals at UWG, and evens the Wolves record at 1-1 on the year.
In goal,
Chanceley Book made six saves, helping West Georgia defeat Georgia College for the first time in program history after going winless in five previous tries.
"Chanceley took control of a lot of situations when we needed her to today," Balaam said of her junior goalkeeper. "She stayed focused and in communication with her back line which was key. She did a good job of relieving the defenders when they would send long balls into the box."
The Wolves will now focus on the home opener and final non-conference game of the season, which is set for Wednesday, September 15. West Georgia will host Clayton State in that matchup in a 5 p.m. kickoff.
